Forever Figs

On one of our trips to Riviera Maya, the first course of the day ALWAYS started with a bowl of fresh figs, and smoked salmon with cream cheese!  No, I'm not pregnant!  Those were the cravings that took hold of me and, of course, it wasn't something I would readily fix in my kitchen!  Or would I?

On a recent stop at Trader Joe's last week, a container of figs practically jumped into my cart!  Instead of cutting them up and plopping them into my mouth, I decided to make another compote for my oatmeal or frozen yogurt!  This would also be great spread onto crostini for an elegant appetizer.

Decadent Fig Compote

2 cups figs, cut up

1/2 cup amaretto

3 Tbsp butter (or use 2 Tbsp to cut down on fat)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of each cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

Bring all to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce the heat to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Let it cool a bit to serve or refrigerate for later use.  Delicious!!

Strawberry Lavender Sorbet

How do you spell relaxation?  S T R A W B E R R Y   L A V E N D E R   S O R B E T !!!  There's  something  intoxicating about brushing up against a lavender bush which releases its sensual fragrance and whisks you away  to a calmer place.  I remember on a trip to a lavender farm in the Northwest years back when as soon as  the car door opened, the sweet smell of relaxation (lavender) permeated my nostrils.  I just wanted to lay down in the field and stay until they closed or found me the next morning!

Needless to say, I wanted to go to several of my "happy places" (and I have many) recently.   But, when it's not possible, I go to my kitchen and create a smile in an ice cream dish!   This concoction definitely made the grade.   I used fresh strawberries that I cleaned and froze on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then put into freezer bags for later use.  Or you can purchase store bought frozen bags of berries.

I should note that I don't have an ice cream maker.  Why, you ask?  Probably because that is my favorite food and it would make it waaaaaay to easy to whip some up anytime I got the cravings for ice cream which I practically NEVER refuse!

Strawberry Lavender Sorbet

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp culinary lavender

1 cup water

First, make the lavender simple syrup by bringing the water, sugar and lavender to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for one minute.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Strain through a fine mesh colander, (to remove the lavender buds).  At this point place the strained simple syrup into an empty ice cube tray and freeze.  When frozen, start the next step.

In a blender toss in the strawberries, simple syrup and a small amount of water, and pulse/blend until smooth.  You may need a bit more water to give it a smooth texture.  Serve immediately or put into a freezer container and freeze for later.  Soooo refreshing!

Blueberry Compote

So what is a compote?  A fancy French word for fruits stewed in syrup!  It's a great way to use those Summer fruits when you've overbought   succumbed to the buy one get one free sales.  There's nothing worse than getting to the middle or bottom of a pint container of luscious blueberries and most of the remaining ones have fuzzy mold on them.  So, instead of waiting for this scenario, bring pints home and either freeze them for later use or make a compote to crown your pancakes, waffles or oatmeal!


Blueberry Compote

1 pint of washed blueberries

2 Truvia packets  (I gotta cut back somewhere)

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp Cassis liqueur (continuing with the French theme, it's a berry liqueur)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and continue to cook stirring at times for about 15 minutes.  Cool and serve or refrigerate to use later.

Provencal Hash Browns

Sometimes you just have to have breakfast for dinner!  To me it spells "comfort food".  I'm sure most of you have made pancakes, eggs, french toast or something along those lines for a lazy Sunday evening meal.  Or perhaps you've run out of money before you run out of month and for a few dollars you can feed your family by serving eggs or potatoes.  If you want to shift into breakfast mode  create these hash browns.  

Provencal Hash Browns

2 medium potatoes or 3 red potatoes, parboiled, skin removed and grated

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Herb de Provence

3-4 roasted garlic cloves, chopped

Prepare the potatoes first by parboiling in a pan of boiling water for about 10 minutes.   Peel and grate them.  In a large (10-12 inch) non-stick skillet melt the butter and oil on medium-high heat.  As soon as the butter begins to sizzle, add the herb, stir and add the grated potatoes, molding and pressing into a round disk shape in the pan.  Cook for 10 minutes.  You may need to reduce the heat to medium.  Add the chopped garlic on top and lightly press into the potatoes.

It's time to turn the hash browns over.  To do this use a large plate the approximate size of pan.  Place the plate on top, flip the pan over, then slide the potatoes back into the pan and cook on the other side.  Cook for another 10 minutes until done and slide off onto a serving plate.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  To add more flavor and crisp the edges, you can add a bit more oil around the edges or also use some vegetable or chicken stock.

A Rollercoaster in July

I can't begin to tell you how many mornings since my last post, that I wanted to write what's on my mind and soul.  The month of July 2013 will forever be etched in my mind as one of the happiest and one of the most sorrowful.  On the 13th, my wonderful son married his amazing bride and for days we were swept up in a flurry of activity, preparing for the morning of the wedding.  I cherished every moment of it.

They went on their honeymoon and we followed their trek via facebook, while on the home front  we put our house back in order.  A week after they returned, my new daughter (in-law) made a special dinner for us which included many Korean dishes from her roots.  Delicious...I love tasting new food from around the world.  Life seemed so normal and hopeful as we basked in each other's good fortune and love.

A beautiful meal prepared by my daughter-in-law

Little did we know that the forces of evil would arrive via a phone call a few hours later in the middle of the night, early Monday morning.  I don't remember my mother's exact words, but the pain in them was indescribable.  I admit, at first I thought something had happened to my dad, then she barely got the words out that my brother had shot himself.  All I could do was repeat the words, "Oh my God" and "WHY"!

One of my favorite sayings is: "God does not give us more than we can handle"....This past week has been a test.  I've experience a gamut of emotions, some I don't ever care to have again.  Then there are times when I feel God's presence and I know He's taking care of all our friends and family.  I'm sorry to write such a morbid blog entry but I hope you can understand that, for me, it's part of a cleansing and healing  process.  I know happier days are ahead and it will take some time.  Please say a prayer, especially for my parents, and hug your loved ones.....because you never know.